BEIJING – In a significant move towards national rejuvenation, China has unveiled a comprehensive educational blueprint aiming to establish a robust education system by 2035. Jointly issued by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council, the 2024-2035 master plan outlines strategies to bolster the nation’s modernization drive through education.
The blueprint envisions an education system deeply rooted in socialism with Chinese characteristics. It emphasizes powerful ideological and political leadership, competitiveness in talent cultivation, scientific and technological support, livelihood security, social synergy, and enhanced international influence.
Building a leading country in education has long been a cherished aspiration for China since modern times. The CPC set the ambitious goal in 2022, and this new plan marks the first national action focusing on transforming China into a global leader in education to support its comprehensive modernization.
Milestones Towards 2035
By 2027, China aims to have initially established a high-quality education system. This system is expected to significantly improve the independent cultivation of talent, producing a steady stream of innovative individuals. By 2035, the goal is to fully realize this high-quality education system, with accessibility and quality of basic education ranking among the best in the world. The blueprint also envisions the establishment of a fully developed learning society, achieving overall educational modernization.
Advancing Higher Education
The master plan places a strong emphasis on higher education. China will accelerate the development of advanced research universities and encourage high-level foreign universities specializing in science and engineering to offer programs within the country. There is also a vigorous push to promote professional postgraduate degree programs.
To align education with advancements in science and technology and national strategies, the plan calls for a mechanism to adjust disciplines and majors. There will be extraordinary efforts to establish urgently needed disciplines and majors, strengthen foundational, emerging, and interdisciplinary fields, and support endangered and less popular specialties. The country will implement plans for foundational and interdisciplinary breakthrough research.
The document underscores the importance of fostering an environment that encourages exploration and tolerates failure, aiming to cultivate high-caliber faculty and master scholars.
Dynamic Curriculum Adjustments
According to Wu Yan, vice minister of education, China added 1,673 undergraduate programs urgently needed for national strategies and removed 1,670 that did not align with economic and social development in 2024, an adjustment described as “unprecedented.”
New majors such as intelligent maritime equipment, intelligent material technology, and interdisciplinary engineering have been introduced. For instance, the South China University of Technology was the first to offer programs in soft matter science and engineering and intelligent maritime equipment—majors designed to support the upgrading of China’s strategic industries and the development of high-tech industries in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Currently, China has 1,308 undergraduate universities offering 816 majors across 93 subcategories within 12 categories. Since 2012, educational authorities have added 21,000 undergraduate programs and canceled or suspended 12,000, demonstrating a dynamic approach to meeting the nation’s evolving educational needs.
Reference(s):
China unveils blueprint for building strong education system by 2035
cgtn.com
